Getting the right seeding rate/population has always been a problem for growers. Many crops are sensitive to proper spacing in order to produce the highest yield per unit of area, and growers want to know if they are seeding at the proper rate for a given hybrid while they are planting. Currently available seed monitors generally provide a good indication of population or seeds per unit area. However, many missing seeds and many multiple seeds in the same field can result in a correct overall field seed population, but with undetected skips and doubles that cause yield reductions.
The grower wants to know if there is one seed in every metering cell or if there is seed missing or multiple seeds in the cell. If each cell is not populated with a single seed, it is necessary to know how to adjust the meter to correct the problem. Recommended adjustments can be made with available technology, but often there is no easy way for the grower to determine if the changes made are the correct ones. On John Deere planters, for example, the operator can increase or decrease vacuum level, increase or decrease the transmission setting, adjust the double eliminator, change seed disks or provide various combinations of adjustments and changes.